No one recorded when or why the Liberty Bell first cracked, but the most likely explanation is that a narrow split developed in the early 1840’s, after nearly 90 years of hard use, according to ...

Recent incidents involving a replica of the Liberty Bell and the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics serve as striking reminders of the enduring power of physical symbols.

Liberty Bell facts reveal the compelling history of the American icon. ... Abolitionists in the 1830s seized upon this message and adopted the bell as a symbol for their anti-slavery movement.